A medical instrument is an instrument used in the practice of medicine. A number of medical instruments are configured with optics to enable a caregiver to visually examine a part of a body. The optics may include a lens and/or a light source for viewing a medical object. Examples of these kinds of medical instruments may include a bronchoscope, an endoscope, a fiberscope, a keratoscope, a laryngoscope, an opthalmoscope, an otoscope, and a rhinoscope.
A bronchoscope is a slender tubular instrument with a small light on the end for inspection into the interior of the bronchi. An endoscope is an instrument for examining visually the interior of a body canal or a hollow organ such as the colon, bladder, or stomach. A fiberscope is a flexible fiber-optic instrument used to view an object or area, such as a body cavity, that would otherwise be inaccessible. A keratoscope is a medical instrument to examine the cornea in order to detect irregularities in its anterior surface. A laryngoscope is a tubular endoscope that is inserted into the larynx through the mouth and used for observing the interior of the larynx. An opthalmoscope is an instrument for examining the interior structures of the eye, especially the retina, consisting essentially of a mirror that reflects light into the eye and a central hole through which the eye is examined. An otoscope is an instrument for examining the interior of the ear, especially the eardrum, consisting essentially of a magnifying lens and a light. A rhinoscope is medical instrument consisting of a mirror mounted at an angle on a rod used to examine the nasal passages through the nasopharynx.
These medical instruments may provide useful information about physiological parameters of a patient; but only when properly used. Simple medical instruments rely entirely on the skill of the caregiver for proper use. To enhance these skills, some medical instruments may be provided with one or more features that give the caregiver more feedback on how well the caregiver is using the medical instrument. One feedback feature that has been popularized with laryngoscopes is a video camera which allows a caregiver to see and capture a medical image during the procedure. These video laryngoscopes as they are called are specialized laryngoscopes that provide real-time video of the airway anatomy captured by a small video camera on the blade inserted into the airway. They provide a video image on a small screen on the laryngoscope device, or on the screen of a device that is connected to the laryngoscope device.
Video laryngoscopes are particularly useful for intubating “difficult airways”. Although video laryngoscopes can be costly to purchase and use; they speed up the time to successful intubation by allowing the caregiver to better see the airway during the intubation process. Video laryngoscopy is becoming more commonly used to secure an airway in both hospital and pre-hospital environments.
With the video laryngoscope, the caregiver can use the captured images fed back to the caregiver to determine next steps in the procedure. For example, the video feedback provided by the video laryngoscopes improves the caregiver's visibility of the airway, making the task of inserting the tube easier. Still, the feedback features of medical instruments are limited and stand as one shortcoming in the design of conventional medical instruments.
Another shortcoming in the design of many conventional medical instruments is that they are tailored for a particular use. For example, the video laryngoscope is a device that is configured for the particular use in procedures involving a larynx, such as a laryngoscopy. Similarly many other medical instruments such as a bronchoscope, an endoscope, a fiberscope, a keratoscope, an opthalmoscope, an otoscope, a rhinoscope are typically configured for a specific purpose. For example, the bronchoscope is typically configured for inspection of the interior of the bronchi; the endoscope configured for examining visually the interior of a bodily canal or a hollow organ such as the colon, bladder, or stomach; the fiberscope is configured to view an object or area, such as a body cavity, that would otherwise be inaccessible; the keratoscope is configured to examine the cornea in order to detect irregularities in its anterior surface; the opthalmoscope instrument is configured for examining the interior structures of the eye, especially the retina; the otoscope is configured for examining the interior of the ear, especially the eardrum; the rhinoscope is configured to examine the nasal passages through the nasopharynx.
Because each medical instrument is typically configured for a particular use, they are not readily interchangeable with each other. Hence, in order to be able to perform more than one procedure, a caregiver needs to have access to a plurality of medical instruments which may create several issues for the caregiver. First, a plurality of instruments takes up more space when stored than does a single instrument. This space requirement may take away storage space that may be put to better use. Second, the space taken up by a plurality of medical instruments makes them more difficult to carry into the field. This makes the plurality of medical instruments less portable. Third, each medical device comes at a price and so a plurality of medical instruments increases the cost of the medical instruments and the medical treatment.
These and other issues introduce space, costs, and other tradeoffs that may leave a caregiver without the right set of medical instruments that may be useful in treating a patient. For example, if the caregiver is working in the field and operating on a limited budget, the caregiver may decide to carry with him only one or a few medical instruments that may leave the caregiver without the right instrument to use on a patient with a particular emergency condition. Care of the patient may also be compromised on account of the limited feedback these medical instruments provide the caregiver when using the medical instrument.
Caregivers may benefit from medical instruments that provide enhanced feedback, portability, reduced costs and/or other benefits that allow a broader set of medical instruments to be more strategically, effectively, and efficiently used in procedures; thereby providing more information to the caregiver for better treatment to the patient.